50 AUGUST 2018 scca.comFIRST GEARA FAMILY THATRACES TOGETHER...With Calvin and Taylor Harris old enough to race, it’s time for them to join theirdad, Todd, and grandfather, Bill, on track | WORDS James Heine | MAIN IMAGE Todd Harris

y the time you find this issue inyour mailbox, Oregon Regionracers Calvin Harris, 19, and TaylorHarris, 15, each will be anticipatingtheir sophomore years in school:Calvin, at the University of Oregonwhere he is studying art andtechnology, and Taylor in high school.The brothers also will have completed asuccessful summer of West Coast roadracing in SRF3, where they competedalongside their dad, Todd Harris, 2016SRF National Champion and co-ownerof the Pro Drive Racing School atPortland International Raceway (PIR),and their grandfather, John W. “Bill”Harris, who recently returned to SCCAracing after a long sabbatical.

“The most helpful person in myracing career is my dad,” observesCalvin. “He got me into racing andhas been coaching me ever since myfirst day. Without him, I never wouldhave had the chance to begin racingat all. My mom supports my racing100 percent. Waving to her in thestands after my most recent winwas a special moment for me.”Taylor echoes his brother,noting that, by way of his family,he’s always been “around racing.”Taylor explains it this way: “Racingtakes a lot of time, dedication, andpatience, and it really helps to havea supportive family...my family andfriends think it’s cool that I race, butit makes my mom very nervous.”In speaking with Calvin and Taylor,there’s little doubt that the brothersshare the Harris family’s motorsportsDNA. “I have been interested inmotorsports for as long as I canremember,” Calvin explains. “Eversince I was a little kid, I have beengoing to the track to watch both mydad and my grandfather compete.

I quickly became an avid race fan.”Ditto again for Taylor, who earned hiscompetition license earlier this year afterattending his first racing school – ProDrive, naturally – last summer.

“Without him, I never wouldhave had the chanceto begin racing at all”CALVIN HARRIS

Taylor, who will turn 16 in December,
adds that he has his eye on another
SCCA activity, too – autocross – where
he believes he can also hone his
driving skills and improve his overall
race craft, and have some fun at the
same time. Naturally, in another venue,
everyday driving, he has his eye on
obtaining his Oregon driver’s license.

“I have a permit now,” he explains,noting that he believes his SRF3experience will make him a betterstreet driver, “and I can take mydriver’s test when I turn 16.”We connected with the Harrisbrothers shortly before and after theHoosier SCCA Super Tour at PIR on May18-20, where Calvin finished ninth in afield of 30 on Saturday and third overallon Sunday, one spot ahead of his dad.

“Battling my dad and many of theWest Coast’s best drivers at the SuperTour was an amazing experience forme,” Calvin says. “I have always lookedup to my dad, and I have workedhard, with the goal of matching himin racing. Finally, being able to testmyself against him in a race wasboth exciting and nerve wracking,as I knew how hard it would be tobeat him. Getting that podium isthe highlight of my racing career.”One of his favorite parts of racing isthe sense of community found in theSCCA, as well as the friends he’s madeamong his fellow drivers, Calvin adds.

“I just really love the community of
drivers. They’re all helpful with each
other. It’s a very fun-loving community.

Getting out of their cars after the
races, everyone is talking with each
other, cracking jokes, discussing the
battles they had out on the racetrack.

It’s a lot of fun getting to talk withthe other drivers, and we often endup going to dinner with them.”For Dad, the Portland Hoosier SuperTour race was an amazing experience.“Racing wheel-to-wheel with Calvinat a high-profile SCCA event was aracing moment I will cherish forever,”Todd Harris says. “He beat me fairand square and secured a podium